from Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking From My Home To Yours. Most of my cake baking experience had been limited to box mixes before this, but I felt I was ready to go at it from scratch.

I was fortunate that the cake turned out well with minimum fuss. The icing was another matter. I had never made buttercream before, and didn’t realize how much effort “6-10 minutes” of mixing, even with a hand mixer, would require. After five minutes of mixing my biceps went numb. I kept going, starting at the gooey mass of sugar and butter with sweat beading on my brow, wondering when it would come together. After three more minutes, magically, the goo became fluffy and I breathed a little easier.

The strawberry filled and topped version I made turned out to be the star of my Easter brunch. The fresh berries matched the lemony-light cake perfectly. It was a hit, but it was a bit too sweet for my taste. Next time I think I’ll leave out the buttercream and serve it with a little berry syrup, some fresh whipped cream and a sprig of mint.

12 Days of Cookies

I’m A Daring Baker

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About

I’m Claire, a violinist, writer, and home cook. I love easy recipes that taste delicious, and feeding other people.
The Barefoot Kitchen is a new venture of mine – so if you have comments or suggestions I’d love to hear them!
drop me a line at claire AT thebarefootkitchen DOT com